Overview

The overall concept of the project is illustrated in the figure below. Two protective back coatings for reflective surfaces designed for high and low corrosive environments will be tested with the goal to reduce CAPEX. The lifetime and long term performance of two anti-soiling coatings, to reduce the cleaning effort and hence OPEX, will be tested in relevant environments. A highly reflective surface, exceeding the reflectance targets of the materials roadmap, will be tested in-service on heliostats. In addition, a novel high- temperature mirror, operating without cooling up to 350°C, will be long-term tested under elevated solar flux. Four novel HSA coatings for ST will be tested in accelerated aging tests under solar flux. HSA selective coatings and AR films for non-evacuated solar receivers for PTC and LFC will be tested and optimized. Corrosion resistant steels and coatings for molten salt atmospheres will be tested and optimized and the corrosion rates will be monitored on-line in commercial molten salt plants.

Overall project structure of RAISELIFE

For each of the studied materials, the approach in the next figure shall be followed: existing TRL6 materials are tested in climate chambers, relevant outdoor environments, accelerated outdoor tests under elevated solar flux, and in-service in commercial power plants. The appearing degradation mechanisms are analyzed, providing input to developers to improve their materials. Optimized materials (TRL6) will be subjected to the same accelerated aging testing program to quantify the progress regarding the material lifetime.

Approach to optimize the materials studied in RAISELIFE

The economic impact of the RAISELIFE materials on typical CSP plant configurations will be evaluated using plant simulation tools. This way, the full portfolio for decision-making (including performance, lifetime and life-cycle analysis and economic assessment) is made available to EPCs to determine which of the new material developments fits their plant requirements.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 686008